Tuesday, July 6, 2021
Dressel, Murphy, Manuel, Schmitt Named Captains of 2020 U.S. Olympic Swimming Team
Just more than two weeks out from the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, it was announced that Caeleb Dressel and Ryan Murphy would be captains for this year's U.S. Olympic Men's Swimming Team, while Simone Manuel and Allison Schmitt would captain the U.S. Olympic Women's Swimming Team. The four captains were voted upon by the athletes on this year's Olympic roster, with the men's team voting for the male captains while the women's team voted for the female captains.
Dressel and Murphy will help lead a men's roster that consists of 25 athletes, 16 of whom are first-time Olympians. Since 2016, The duo of Dressel and Murphy have been teammates at five international competitions including the 2016 Rio Olympics, where the two combined for five gold medals.
Dressel, a first-time captain for the U.S. in a senior-level international competition, has been an anchor for the U.S. team since Rio, totaling 20 medals in international competitions between 2017 and 2019. At the 2019 FINA World Championships, Dressel became the first swimmer in history to earn eight medals at a single World Championships (LCM) competition, earning him the title of Male Athlete of the Competition. He is slated for three individual events (50-meter freestyle, 100m freestyle and 100m butterfly) in Tokyo.
For Murphy, this also marks his first time as captain for a U.S. team in an senior-level, international competition. The Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida native has been a force for the U.S. in multiple competitions, posting multi-medal efforts at six international competitions since 2015. Murphy qualified for this year's Olympic team in the 100m and 200m backstroke; should he win both events, he would be just the second person ever (first American) to win both backstroke events in the same Olympic competition.
On the women's side, decorated freestylers Simone Manuel and Allison Schmitt were nominated for the honor. The two have been on six U.S. National Team rosters together and are both American record holders in freestyle events — Manuel in the 50m and 100m, and Schmitt in the 200m. They will captain a roster that consists of 28 women, 20 of whom are first-time Olympians and 10 of whom are teenagers.
Manuel had a stellar 2019 season, capturing seven medals—four of which were gold—at the 2019 FINA World Championships. The talented sprinter has represented the U.S. on international soil every year, excluding 2020 when international competitions were postponed, since she first took the stage at the 2011 FINA World Junior Championships. Heading into Tokyo, Manuel will swim the 50m freestyle — should Manuel medal, she would become the first American to ever medal in the 50m freestyle in back-to-back Olympic Games.
Schmitt, who also captained the U.S. women at the 2019 FINA World Championships, will be making her fourth Olympic appearance, becoming just the fifth female U.S. swimmer to reach the mark. Schmitt's eight Olympic medals puts her as the most decorated Olympian on this year's roster; if she gets two medals in Tokyo, she will become only the ninth swimmer in U.S. history to reach the double-digit mark for Olympic medals in a career.
To see the full U.S. Olympic Team roster, click here.
Dressel and Murphy will help lead a men's roster that consists of 25 athletes, 16 of whom are first-time Olympians. Since 2016, The duo of Dressel and Murphy have been teammates at five international competitions including the 2016 Rio Olympics, where the two combined for five gold medals.
Dressel, a first-time captain for the U.S. in a senior-level international competition, has been an anchor for the U.S. team since Rio, totaling 20 medals in international competitions between 2017 and 2019. At the 2019 FINA World Championships, Dressel became the first swimmer in history to earn eight medals at a single World Championships (LCM) competition, earning him the title of Male Athlete of the Competition. He is slated for three individual events (50-meter freestyle, 100m freestyle and 100m butterfly) in Tokyo.
For Murphy, this also marks his first time as captain for a U.S. team in an senior-level, international competition. The Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida native has been a force for the U.S. in multiple competitions, posting multi-medal efforts at six international competitions since 2015. Murphy qualified for this year's Olympic team in the 100m and 200m backstroke; should he win both events, he would be just the second person ever (first American) to win both backstroke events in the same Olympic competition.
On the women's side, decorated freestylers Simone Manuel and Allison Schmitt were nominated for the honor. The two have been on six U.S. National Team rosters together and are both American record holders in freestyle events — Manuel in the 50m and 100m, and Schmitt in the 200m. They will captain a roster that consists of 28 women, 20 of whom are first-time Olympians and 10 of whom are teenagers.
Manuel had a stellar 2019 season, capturing seven medals—four of which were gold—at the 2019 FINA World Championships. The talented sprinter has represented the U.S. on international soil every year, excluding 2020 when international competitions were postponed, since she first took the stage at the 2011 FINA World Junior Championships. Heading into Tokyo, Manuel will swim the 50m freestyle — should Manuel medal, she would become the first American to ever medal in the 50m freestyle in back-to-back Olympic Games.
Schmitt, who also captained the U.S. women at the 2019 FINA World Championships, will be making her fourth Olympic appearance, becoming just the fifth female U.S. swimmer to reach the mark. Schmitt's eight Olympic medals puts her as the most decorated Olympian on this year's roster; if she gets two medals in Tokyo, she will become only the ninth swimmer in U.S. history to reach the double-digit mark for Olympic medals in a career.
To see the full U.S. Olympic Team roster, click here.